Located between Seattle and Portland, this state capital offers both jobs and state-of-the-art health care.

The state government and medical facilities, like Providence St. Peter Hospital and Columbia Capital Medical Center, are among the largest employers in the area, said Thurston County Economic Council executive director Michael Cade. While Lewis McChord, a nearby military base, employs thousands of civilians and supports many of the small businesses in the area.

With the median household income at nearly $75,000, residents are better able to afford home prices here, which are about 50% higher than the rest of the nation.

And they're still rising. Fiserv expects home prices to take off by the fourth quarter and climb by 11.3% in 2013.